1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to bow stringing and more particularly to a portable bow press for the purpose of compressing a compound archery bow or archery bow of another type, in order to perform maintenance and/or repair to the bow.
2. Background Art
A bow press is required for compressing an archery compound bow, a recurve bow or a long bow for purposes of maintenance and repair. There has been a longstanding need for a portable press that is both safe and stable. This is especially true when a bow needs repair or adjustment in the field or campsite.
The available portable presses do not provide a stable platform or fixture which holds the bow in a more serviceable manner for purposes of repair and maintenance. Further, presses which provide the aforementioned holding fixture stability are designed for use on a floor or bench top. None of these are designed for or can be used in the field. Most of the prior art presses provide a mechanism for performing the compression, such as winches, turnbuckles or jacks to assist in providing the compression. All bow presses provide a method of engaging the limbs of the bow and pressing them in an opposite direction of the riser of the bow in order to release tension from the bow. The primary difference between the present invention and the prior art is that present invention attaches to a vehicle and utilizes the jack that comes with that vehicle to provide the compression. It also engages the “riser” portion of the bow at the handgrip which is the same on all bows, providing a simple application, whereas the prior art devices use a complex application by attempting to adjust for different riser styles. Another feature distinguishing the present invention is that it's design is of a simplicity such that custom parts or processes are not required for manufacture.
These prior art devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,377 to Stevens. This device is a totally integral bow press. It does not mount to anything for stability and in fact discusses holding the entire unit including the bow in one hand while using the screw device with the other to compress the bow. Further, the screw device is integrated into the device. The Stevens device also uses a “thread stop” adjustment to accommodate the different sized bows. Stevens also requires a U shaped mechanism to provide the compression force to the bow grip. U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,473 to Lint uses a complex frame to pull the arms of the bow together. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,987 to Rezmer uses a string arrangement attached to the arms of a bow and a handle to pull the arm toward each other. U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,350 to Egusuiza also uses a similar device consisting of a turnbuckle and chain to pull the arm of a bow together. U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,186 to Corwin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,103, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,190 B1 to Kurtz, all use a complex four point compression method where the arms of the bow are held in position by rollers or pins and the pushing member consists of a pair of rollers at affixed distance from each other for pushing the central portion of the arms.
The present invention has several unique features that are not taught or implied by the prior art patents. The invention is stabilized by a receiver hitch. It uses a variety of jacks that are provided with every vehicle, to provide the compression force. The riser is adjustable to accommodate the different style jacks and bows. The invention also is modular using several off-the-shelf parts. The modularity of the invention allows for stowage, thus it can be used at home or in the field. None of the prior art devices disclose the unique features of the present invention.